Electric connection



(No Model.)

J. H. FLEMING. ELECTRIC CONNECTION.

No. 461,868. Patented Oct. 27,1891.

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lJNiTED STATES ATENT OFFICE,

JAMES H. FLEMING, OF NEYVARK, NEV JERSEY.

ELECTRIC CONNECTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 461,868, dated October27, 1891.

Application filed January 9, 1891. Serial No. 377,204. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it knownthat I, JAMES H. FLEMING, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newark, in'the county of Essex and State of New Jersey,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in iVire Joints; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being badto the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an electric wire joint ofincreased simplicity and neatness and with adequate tensile strength andability to hold the conducting-wires together; to avoid the shoulderswhich were heretofore formed when the ends of the wires were arrangedside by side and twisted or tied; to reduce the costof the coupling; toenable broken wires to be reunited at the break more perfectly and withgreaterstrength and perfection of contact without the preliminarydisarrangement or rarrangement of said wires at the nearest supports,and all without the aid of set-screws, wedges, orsuch like means, and tosecure other advantages and results, some of which may be'given inconnection with the description of the working parts.

The intention consists in the improved electric wire joint and in theprocess of making the same, and in the arrangements and combinations ofparts, substantially as will be hereinafter set forth, and finallyembodied in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters ofreference indicate cor.- responding parts in each of the severalfigures,Figure 1 is a plan of the coupling'piece, and Fig. 2 aview ofthe joint complete. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on line as, andFigs. 4 and 5 are respectively sections taken 011 lines 00 and 0c. Fig.6illustrates a variety in construction.

In said drawings, a a, are the conductingwires, and 1) indicates ametallic couplingsleeve, the bore in which is of about the same diameteras that of the wires a. The said sleeve is open atits opposite ends toreceive the said wires, as shown in Fig. 3.

The wires are inserted in said sleeve, entering at the opposite ends andabutting at or about the center. Should the wire be a broken one theparts of which remain fastened to the poles or other fixtures, the partsmay be drawn together, or nearly so, or be caused to meet within thesleeve without the fastenings at said poles or fixtures being disturbed,as will be clearly understood. The sleeve and wire ends having beenbrought together, they are secured and firmly held in such relation bybeing bent in the manner indicated in Fig. 2, the sleeve and theinserted wires all being bent simultaneously, so that the completefastening is but a matter or operation of an instant, shoulders c a a abeing formed by the bending-tool on' the sleeve, which extend intocorresponding recesses in the ends of the abutting wires. The shouldersa a formed by the bending-tool, differ in quality from continuous curvedor spiral surfaces, such as would be formed by bending the tube spiraly, the said shoulders presenting more positive resisting surfacesagainst tensile power, and thus producing a more perfect union of parts.The forcing of the parts a a into the metal of the wires throws thelatter out of a true annular shape, and thus the shoulders increase thetensile strength of the joint. The shoulders at on one side of thesleeve alternate with the shoulders a on the opposite side, and thewires are shaped in close correspondence, the surfaces of the wire andthose of the interior of the sleeve remaining in close engagement at allpoints within the sleeve, so that the holding-surfaces are of greaterextent and are better re-enforced than in those cases where a set-screwforces the wire into a slot of the sleeve, and the opportunity for theinflow and retention of water in the joint is greatly reduced.

The sleeve a is provided at suitable intermediate points between theends thereof with longitudinal slots 0 0, adapted to allow theinflow ofsolder to the interior of the sleeve after the joint is formed bybending in the tensile strength of the sleeve. preferably formed bymeans of saws of small diameter. The ends of the sleeve are beveled, bypreference, and thus no abrupt angles are formed which will cause thejoint to catch when employed in what is known as roofwork.

The bending of the sleeve and wire ends is done preferably by a toolhaving series of al ternating fingers or bending projections, and theprojections a a may be all formed simultaneously. By this means thejoint is formed with greater regularity and neatness. The projectionsmay, however,be formed one by one by means of ordinary pliers or othertools.

In completing the joint prior to soldering, I prefer to turn or pressdown the ends of the sleeve into close electrical contact with the-"wires with pliers, whereby perfect conduc- The slots are ceiveinsulating material (Z. In this construction all shoulders are avoided.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new is 1. Theimproved telegraph or electric wire joint combining, with the wires toa, a tubular sleeve open at opposite ends and receiving theoppositely-projecting ends of the wires, the said wires and sleevehaving coincident and alternating bends on opposite sides thereof,substantially as set forth.

2. The process or method of uniting electric conducting-wires, whichconsists in abutting the wire ends within a tube andsimultaneouslybending the tubeand the abutting ends out of a true line,substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this8th day of January, 1891.

. JAMES H. FLEMING.

Witnesses:

OLIVER DRAKE, CHARLES H. PELL.

